When I called this function to enable a validator from client javascript:

`ValidatorEnable(document.getElementById('<%=valPassportOtherText.ClientID%>'), true); //enable`  validation control

The side effect was that focus was shifted to the txtSpecifyOccupation textbox (the control associated with the Validation control)

                          <asp:TextBox ID="txtSpecifyOccupation" runat="server" AutoCompleteType="Disabled"
                                        CssClass="DefaultTextBox DefaultWidth" MaxLength="24" Rows="2"></asp:TextBox>
                                    <asp:RequiredFieldValidator ID="valSpecifyOccupation" runat="server" ControlToValidate="txtSpecifyOccupation"
                                        ErrorMessage="1.14b Please specify your &lt;b&gt;Occupation&lt;/b&gt;" 
                                        SetFocusOnError="True">&nbsp;Required</asp:RequiredFieldValidator>

Perhaps there is a way to enable the (required) validator without having it simultaneously perform the validation (at least until the user has tabbed off of it?)